The purposes of this chapter are to prescribe
the manner in which the City Clerk, acting as Purchasing Officer for
the City of Monessen, shall control the purchasing of materials, supplies,
equipment and certain contractual services for the city and to maintain
a high ethical standard for all officers and employees of the City
of Monessen in connection therewith.

To purchase or contract for, within the limitations
imposed by law and in accordance with regulations adopted by the City
Council, all materials, supplies, equipment and contractual services
needed by any using agency which derives its financial support wholly
or in part from the city.

To sell or dispose of all obsolete or unusable personal
property in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
or the rules, regulations or resolutions which may be adopted by the
City Council.

The Purchasing Officer and every other officer
and employee of the City of Monessen are hereby expressly prohibited
from accepting, directly or indirectly, from any person, company,
firm or corporation to which any purchase order or contract is or
might be awarded any rebate, gift, money or anything of value whatsoever.

All purchases of and contracts for materials, supplies, equipment
or services estimated to cost $18,500 or more, and all sales of obsolete
or unusable personal property the estimated value of which is $1,000
or more, shall be based on competitive bids. Where standardization
is desirable and where permitted by law, the purchase of supplies,
material and equipment may be by negotiation.

The Purchasing Officer is hereby authorized
and directed to adopt such written regulations as may be necessary
for the implementation of this chapter. Any regulations adopted by
the Purchasing Officer shall become effective within 30 days after
submission to the Council unless such regulations are disapproved
by the Council within the thirty-day period. Copies of such regulations
shall be kept on file in the office of the Purchasing Officer and
shall be made available for public inspection during business hours.

Except as provided in the regulations prescribed
by the Purchasing Officer, it shall be unlawful for any officer or
employee of the City of Monessen to purchase any materials, supplies
or equipment or to make any contract, within the purview of this chapter,
other than through the Purchasing Officer, and any purchase made or
ordered or any contract made contrary to the provisions hereof shall
not be approved by the city officials, and the city shall not be bound
thereby.

If the Purchasing Officer becomes ill or needs
to be absent from the city, he shall designate another officer or
employee of the city who shall perform the duties of the Purchasing
Officer during such absence or disability. The person so designated
shall not perform such duties for a period longer than 30 days without
the approval of the City Council.